


Come With Me

by the_duck_bride



Category: the GazettE
Genre: AU, F/M, Fluff, High School, Minor Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-14
Updated: 2016-01-14
Packaged: 2018-05-13 22:39:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5719648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_duck_bride/pseuds/the_duck_bride
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A piece written for a year 12 English assessment, on which I got an A. That's right...I got an A for writing fanfic xD</p>
    </blockquote>





	Come With Me

**Author's Note:**

> A piece written for a year 12 English assessment, on which I got an A. That's right...I got an A for writing fanfic xD

I flicked the ash of my burning cigarette onto the limp body of the girl on the ground. I didn’t know who she was, I probably never would and I had no regrets about what I’d participated in. She was small and she looked fragile as she lay on the ground writhing in pain. Small, gasping puffs of breath escaped her bloody, beaten lips. Laughter drifted into the air, coming from my friends and soon, from me as well. A ringing sound rose into the air as the piecing sound of the bell barked at us to hurry to class.  
  
Reaching the main body of the school, my friends asked if I wanted to skip with them. However, I told them I couldn’t; something about the principal wanting to see me.  
  
Slowly, I dragged myself towards the office building, discarding my cigarette butt in the spotless courtyard. Crows sat perched up in the trees, cawing at me, mocking me for, once again, being called to the principal’s office. Not bothering to fix my sloppy uniform, I plopped into the chair in Ms Gordon’s office, slouching lazily.  
  
There was another presence in the rather large office that I noticed right away, however elected to ignore. Wondering what was going on, I shot the unimpressed looking woman, with wrinkles that very much resembled the Grand Canyon on her forehead, a questioning glance.  
  
She started droning at me in her unattractive, nasally voice explaining, once again, that my grades were terrible and at the rate my behaviour was going she’d have to expel me or I wouldn’t graduate. Tuning out for a great portion of her boring speech seemed to irritate her even more. My attention was recaptured when she told me that if I didn’t do something about my grades she’d have no choice but to bring my parents into the matter. Panic shot through me at the mention of my parents. No, they didn’t need to know; they had enough to deal with already. Their constant fighting and the final steps of their divorce were starting to grind on all of our nerves. The last thing they needed was my school troubles as well.  
  
Reluctantly, I asked my principal what she wanted me to do, to which she replied, “This is Takanori Matsumoto, he is an exchange student from Japan and I want you to look after him.” Glaring to my left, I finally paid attention to the other presence in the room. The boy, Takanori, looked clean and proper with his uniform neatly presented and his shirt tucked into his trousers. Waves of bleached blonde hair reached his narrow shoulders and I could tell he wore a slight amount of black eye shadow around his almond-shaped eyes, and this, despite the clean uniform made him look slightly rebellious.  
  
‘ _What a weird guy_ ,’ I thought.  
  
  
  
  
Over the next month I was reluctant to converse with my new burden. He followed me everywhere, but that was to be expected, I suppose. However, I did notice that he spoke very good English. It also registered to me that he liked to quietly observe everything I did. He really was the strangest kid I’d ever met. I say kid, even though we were the same age because he seemed to look at everything with such childlike awe.  
  
One day we were sitting on the dried grass of the oval, the sun blazing down on us and me with a burning cigarette clasped between my lips, Takanori said, “It’s not as bad as it seems.” When I shot him a confused look he carried on. “Life, I mean. I know you think your life is not good, but you are living, yes? When I live in Japan my mother is very poor. She try very, very hard to get food for me and young ones. My father gone, dead. We live in the worst housing in Tokyo.” He continued to tell me about how much his family struggled. He told me his mother sent him to Brisbane because schooling here was cheaper and she wanted him to get a good education so that he would be better off in life. But what surprised me most was how he only smiled and said, “But I am alive, and this is truly wonderful.” Speechless. This boy had just blown my mind, and I suppose it clicked for me that I could be living a much worse life.  
  
After a long thoughtful silence, I turned to the boy next to me, “Hey, Takanori. Wanna help me with my science homework?”  
  
“Call me Taka,” he smiled. And with that goofy, lopsided grin came a brand new friendship.  
  
  
  
  
I blitzed through my final exams, thanks to Taka’s help. Graduation was fast approaching and, in the lead-up, a few of my former friends got into contact with me, asking me to go out with them on Saturday night. A celebration of sorts. I was hesitant; since Taka and I had spoken that day on the sunburnt oval, I’d changed my way of thinking…  
  
But somehow, after their persistent nagging, I found myself out that Saturday night with those who I thought were my friends. On the ground in front of us was a boy, cowering helplessly as the girls around me kicked him; painful jabs to his already bruising sides. When he looked up his chocolate brown eyes pleaded with me.  
  
“Darcy…” The way he whispered my name made him sound so broken.  
  
In an instant I snapped out of my trance and leapt forward, standing in front of the boy with my arms spread wide like a protective shield. Screaming at my “friends” to stop, they all looked at me questioningly before taking their leave, muttering about how much I’d changed and how “uncool” I’d become because of this “Asian nerd”.  
  
Brushing off their hurtful comments, I dropped to my knees on the cold, hard pavement next to the bloodied boy. He shivered, tugging at his torn shirt.  
  
“Taka. Taka, are you ok? I’m so sorry! I didn’t know. I-”  
  
The small boy shushed me. He told me he was grateful I’d had the heart to stop them. When I continued to apologize profusely he shushed me again and said, “But I am alive, and this is truly wonderful.”  
  
I just smiled.  
  
  
  
  
Graduation day came quickly and, even though Taka had to brave it with a black eye, the day went spectacularly. We were handed our certificates and, as we descended the stairs to take our seats back amongst the crowed I realized that Taka’s exchange program was ending soon. Too soon. He was going to have to return to Japan.  
  
As we sat down in the audience to watch the rest of our peers graduate, a feeling of unbelievable sadness washed over me. Taka, being Taka, noticed this and obviously knew what I was upset about. He’d always been observant like that. Able to read me as though I were an open book.  
  
He reached over and took my hand, lacing our fingers together delicately. He leaned over and pressed his lips to the dark hair that cascaded over my shoulders and whispered three simple words in my ear, “Come with me.”


End file.
